Pistols In The Pacific

He was a fighter pilot. World World II ace. South Dakota governor. First commissioner of the American Football League. Television host. NRA president. Philanthropist. To be sure, this was not your average Joe. Nor was this an ordinary .45-cal. that belonged to him.

The second classic pistol shown in the accompanying pdf represents another World War II hero. A vice admiral of the U.S. Navy, he was a skilled marksman. He was so accurate, in fact, that he set a sporting record that would not be broken until 1980—60 years after his historic feat.

Click here to learn more about these classic pistols and the honorable men who owned them. They are more storied guns from the annals of the NRA National Firearms Museum, located in Fairfax, Va.